


Snake Scales

by HoneyLew



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Hard of Hearing Jughead Jones, Jughead Jones Needs a Hug, Serpents are a family, The Serpents need more love, teenagers being teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-24
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-01-02 15:46:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21164123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HoneyLew/pseuds/HoneyLew
Summary: A series of one-shots centered around Jughead and the Southside Serpents.





	1. Author's note

Series of one-shots centered around the Southside Serpents because they don't get enough love

Not centered around the show, no real aspects of the show used cuz the one-shots are for fun for the sake of the one-shots  
F.P is Serpent King (in charge of all Serpents)  
Jughead is Serpent Prince(in charge of the younger Serpents)  
Hard of hearing Jughead  
No real focus on relationships but I may do one-shots for any random ship if in the mood or if asked nicely  
Teenagers acting like teenagers   
The adults don't understand why the youth is so weird  
Length of the one-shot will vary depending on how motivated I am to write  
Let me know what you think of the one-shots, I like feedback on my work

These one-shots have no correlation with my other story "A Bloody Night to Remember" feel free to check that one out if your interested in a Werewolf!Jughead fic.


	2. Snake Pile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead feels down and his fellow Serpents cheer him up

It didn't happen often, the crushing feeling of loneliness. The want for human contact but the crippling fear of people rejecting him keeping him from asking. Normally he would call for his father, let him know it was one of those days, one of those days were his mind nitpicked every flaw he may or may imagine he has. Those days when getting out of bed seemed like an impossible task. Those days when his mind made him feel empty inside, numbing to the body in response. But his dad was busy, he had some businesses with the older Southside Serpents and Jughead did not want to bother him during this time. Yet the thought of the Serpents bought up a nerve wracking idea. They always talked about how being a Serpent made you like family, and he trusted Toni more than any other Serpent, she was his best friend, another sister even. Right now that's what he needed, his family.   
Despite his body's protest, he sluggishly grabbed his phone, shakingly he sent Toni a text. Asking if she was free right now because he wasn't feeling well but didn't want to bother his dad. He didn't get the chance to wait for a reply, the phone slipped from his hand, falling to the floor. From his current position lying on his side on the bed, it was too much effort to lean over the side of the bed to retrieve the phone. He let out a sigh before staring at the wall like he was doing before texting Toni. He blacked for a bit, time being meaningless as he barely paid attention to his surroundings.  
The loud banging on his front door brought him to his senses though. Glancing at the clock, he could see an hour has passed since he sent his fellow Serpent a text. As the banging continued, he begrudgingly gets up out of bed, dragging one of his blankets with him. Slowly he made his way to the door, hearing Sweet Pea yelling for him to open up on the other side. With his hand on the door knob, Jughead could have sworn he texted the pink haired Serpent girl, not the easy to anger taller Serpent boy. Turning the door knob, the smaller teen slowly opened the door, seeing Sweet Pea, Toni, and Fangs on the other side. All with a shared worried expression. One that grew when they saw the pathetic state he was in. His skin seemingly paler than before, bags under his once lively eyes, his hair a mess, half wrapped in a blanket, and more importantly he was without his favorite weird little crown beanie.  
" Damn it Jones, you can't just text someone and not reply! You had us all worried something real bad had happened." Toni said while pushing him back into the trailer. The other males following her inside. " By the looks of it something bad did happen, you ok Jughead?" Fangs asked, Sweet Pea butting in after with "Don't you dare lie to us either, we can see you look like shit."  
Jughead could only stare at the three other teenagers in front of him. Even if he wanted to answer, which he didn't, the words just got stuck in his throat. Completely unwilling to leave his body. He tried to will out the words by opening his mouth a little, but ended up closing it to swallow the lump in his throat. Finally he was able to quietly mutter "Sorry I didn't mean to make any of you worry about me."  
The trio of old time friends exchanged a concerned look with one another, all seemingly coming to the same nonverbal agreement. Gently Toni took hold of one of Jughead's hands and lead him over to the side, out of the way of Sweet Pea and Fangs, who were currently rearranging the trailer's living room area. Moving furniture against the wall so there was plenty of space in front of the tv for four teenagers to huddle near. After the boys moved things, they went further into the trailer as Toni once again lead Jughead to where she wanted him to be. Down on the floor next to her. She tightened the blanket around him as the other Serpents returned with various pillows and blankets from the bed room. Toni then started helping the boys and began spreading some blankets and pillows on the floor, dragging some furniture over when needed. After they were done with their arrangements there was a neat little blanket fort in the middle of the living room with the sofa acting as a back support for the blanket structure . Fangs and Toni slipped underneath into the fort, Sweet Pea next after taking his hand and leading him in.   
The whole situation made him feel like a little kid. A little kid who's siblings wanted to cheer him up. Toni turned on the tv, playing some action movie from their small collection. He didn't even notice when she grabbed the remote. Underneath the blankets in the fort they snuggled up together, Jughead being the one in the middle, Sweet Pea being the back support for the group as they mostly leaned up against him because he had the back support of the couch. Fangs took the right and Toni the left. Jughead found himself relaxing in the comfort of his fellow Serpents. The little snuggle pile of theirs really helped him feel better with his touch starved state. He wouldn't be lying either is he said he was happy he messaged Toni in his moment of weakness.   
They stayed there, in the warmth of their little pile. Ignoring the outside world, taking comfort in each others presence. Jughead finally built of the nerves to confide in his friends about his depression. Happy to have their support and understanding. As the hours grew dark, the group found themselves drifting off to sleep under their fort.  
That was how F.P Jones found them. After a long day of dealing with the Serpents and doing some much needed errands, the Serpent King returned to his trailer to find a homemade fort in his living room area. Peeking under he saw the four teenagers sleeping tight in their little cuddle pile. His attention turned to Jughead, he looked like he was having one of those days, but now he was sleeping soundly with a small smile on his face. F.P took out his own phone and snapped a few pictures. He sent them to a Serpent group chat he was in with some of the other adults. Quietly he made his way to the kitchen to start dinner. He knew the teens would be hungry when they woke up, especially his bottomless pit of a son.


	3. Hot Dog Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this house we appreciate Hot Dog

It should have been a surprise to no one that the younger Serpents have a group chat. Even the older ones have used the group chat feature in messaging apps to their advantage. When you first join the Southside Serpents you get and invite to the chat that all the Serpents are in, granted it wasn't used for anything but emergencies, news updates, or wishing someone a happy birthday. What was surprising was when the resident Serpent Prince, Jughead Jones, sent a link in the mass group chat with an invite to a new chat.   
Anyone in the Serpents know that Jughead never posts to the mass chat unless it was important. Almost immediately did all the adults click the link if they were available to do so. However, the link led to something that none of them expected. The name gave away the purpose of the chat. 'Pics of Hot Dog' the chat name read; the picture being their shared gang pet. Strolling through the chat, one can see that multiple of the younger Serpents had posted to the chat. The only things ever posted was as the chat title suggested. Hundreds upon hundreds of pictures of Hot Dog, even the Hot Dogs of the past made appearances in the 'in loving memory of' posts that littered the chat. There were pictures of Hot Dog in costumes, out on walks, a bunch of series of the same position but at different angles. Needless to say, the adults were both amused as well as confused.   
Why would the teenagers create such a chat? What was the purpose of the seemingly daily updates? When asked each gave a different answer.  
"It just seemed like a fun idea." Some would say. "What's better than seeing Hot Dog?" Others would say. "We needed some way to share all the pictures we take with each other." A couple would say.   
Even after the initial confusion, the chat stayed open for all Serpents to use. The only thing ever being posted are pictures of the dog. Soon enough the older Serpents joined in on the fun, posting their own pictures of the dog. Some even posting silly little videos of the dog's adventures.  
Jughead smiled down at his phone. He was currently looking at the Hot Dog group chat. Fangs and Sweet Pea just posted a video, Hot Dog was with them at the park and he was having the time of his life chasing after the tennis ball the two Serpent teens were tossing. When he decided to join the Southside Serpents he was not expecting to have so much fun with the gang's dog; and the name Hot Dog. It was just like the stuff dog toy he had as a child. It was nice to know his dad thought enough of him to have the shared gang pet named after the toy he was so fond of as a kid. After all the gang did not get the first Hot Dog till after his father became king, and that was as he was nearing middle school. A silly idea popped in his head. An embarrassing one that he is sure Sweet Pea would tease him about for days on end. Shaking his head for a moment, he decided to go through with his little idea. If the Serpents picked fun at him they would be picking fun at his dad too.   
Taking his phone, he pulled up the camera and took a picture of his stuffed dog. He looked at the picture to make sure it looked good before posting. He added the 'Meet the original Hot Dog, my childhood stuffed dog'. Not even a minute later did he receive feedback on his post. Some of the older Serpents liking his picture, others demanding more details, and of course the coos of how cute it is that he still has his stuffed dog. Surprising some of the other Serpent teens demanding more pics.   
Soon after posting, Jughead got a text from Toni demanding his full attention. His curiosity now enticed, he invited her over to the trailer. Within the hour the pink haired girl was at his door, her camera in hand.   
Over the next hour the pair spent time recreating various pictures from the chat with the stuffed dog. Honestly they couldn't wait to post the pictures. The duo already gave all the other Serpents a sneak peek at what they were doing by posting some of those behind the scenes celebrity photo shoot pictures using the toy as the celebrity. Of course this only made the older Serpents wonder if the duo were intoxicated while the young ones encouraged their antics. Needless to say F.P was not expecting to come home to a mock photo shoot with a stuffed dog being the main attraction. The man started to wonder if he should check his insurance to see if it covered therapy for his boy. He may crap insurance for himself but he made sure to get a good one for his son and all these dog photos, now stuffed dog photos. He beginning to question Jughead's sanity.


	4. Hard of Hearing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Serpent teens find out about Jughead's hearing.

The Whyte Wyrm was exceeding loud today. So much so that it actually hurt Jughead's ears to hear all the commotion around him. The teenager hoped that the volume level would drop or at least stay the same so he could adjust to it. Sadly that was not the case, as the night progressed so did the volume around him.  
It wasn't often that Jughead would turn off his hearing aids but no one was talking to him right now, he was in his little corner of the bar where everyone knew he liked to work on his laptop. The other Serpent teens deemed it his 'emo corner'. Sure he could have just turned the volume setting down, but the noise would still be a distraction and wouldn't help the headache that began to form.  
Typing away he ignores all around him. Too engrossed in his own world as he suddenly had a burst of inspiration for his writing. His finger raced across the keyboard as the words flowed from his mind to the computer screen. Filling page after page with his story content. After some time he left out a small sigh as he saved the draft. Inspiration seeming run out at the moment. Glancing at the time, he did a double take. Honestly he did not think he was writing for hours but the clock on his lap top said otherwise.  
Finally he looked up from his laptop to see what the other occupants at the bar were doing. To his surprise and dread, majority of the Serpents were looking at him. The teenagers looked concerned, the adults did not look surprised by his lack of attention to his surroundings. He sunk in his seat a little. He could see Fangs watching him like a hawk, Sweet Pea looked a little red in the face; probably mad, and Toni looked at him with concern. She was saying something, her lips moved but since his hearing aids were off he had no clue what was coming out of her mouth. Jughead held up a hand, gesturing for a moment before he moved his hands up to turn on his aids.  
"What were you saying Toni?" He asked the pink haired Serpent.  
"What the hell Jones?" Sweet Pea demanded, slamming his hands on the table and wanting answers to questions he didn't even ask yet. The Serpent prince just looked at the taller boy with a quizzical look, clearly not knowing how to respond to the lack of clarification. "Since when did you wear hearing aids?" The taller Serpent teen inquired. Now Jughead continued to be confused, he never out right said he wore hearing aids, but he never hid them from anyone, the aids were only partly internal. Anyone looking at his ears could see the external part jutting out. "Always?" He finally replied, "I always had hearing aids, why?"  
"We were trying to get your attention for the last hour, we thought you were ignoring us." Fangs jumped in. It finally dawned on Jughead why the other serpent teens were asking, they must have never noticed his hearing aids. After all he just assumed they knew he was hard of hearing since they already knew so much about him. Since everyone at Riverdale High already knew he wore the aids he was never questioned about it, he just got used to people knowing his handicap. Now he was completely embarrassed, with his face flushed red. He sunk into the seat even more, pulling his crown beanie down to cover his ears a bit. "Sorry." He managed to get out his mouth, his voice seeming a little more high pitched due to his embarrassment, "I just assumed you guys knew."  
Sweet Pea crossed his arms and let out a huff. The Serpent boy was not amused and it seemed the other teenage occupants weren't either. Thank goodness for Toni and Fangs, who seeing how flustered Jughead was decided to make the situation worse and better at the same time. Both slide into booth the Serpent Prince was occupying, Fangs wrapping an arm around Jughead's shoulders as Toni pinched on of his cheeks as she said "Aw come on Sweet Pea, he said he was sorry. Look at him! Jughead is all red!" The pink haired Serpent laughed, drawing attention away from what everyone was so focused on before. Fangs joining in, others soon following suit as Jughead completely turned red with the humiliation he was currently facing at the hands of his fellow Southside Serpents. Of course he knew it was all in good fun so he held no hard feelings.  
"We'll talk about this later." Sweet Pea scolded the other teens. And they did talk, in the privacy of the Jones trailer. The four teenagers sat at the kitchen table. Three of them waiting for their friends explanation to why they didn't know something so important about him. Honestly Jughead was surprised that his dad did not share with the younger Serpents how he was handicap. The teen could only guess it was because his father believed it was not his place to tell, after all mostly all the older Serpents are well aware.  
"So you always been like this since you were young?" Fangs asked, uncomfortable with what he was saying. Jughead just nodded in reply. There wasn't much he could say on the matter other than to tell his fellow Serpent teens what caused his loss of hearing.  
"I was barely a month into fifth grade when I got in a car accident. My dad was driving, we stopped at a red light but the car behind us didn't. He rammed straight into us, I was in the back seat." Jughead explained, looking at his fellow Serpents. All who had their eyes on him; taking in every word he said. With a heavy sigh he continued, "I fractured my skull, didn't really understand what was happening at the time other than my family and I learned some sign language, then I was fitted with hearing aids."  
Fangs jumped in, some amazement in his voice. "You know sign language?" He asked. Jughead smiled at his excitement before continuing to talk, signing everything he said at the same time. "My dad does too, we're just a bit rusty since we don't need to sign much since I got hearing aids."  
Jughead felt relieved, it felt good to be open with his fellow Serpents. Even if he had a small nagging fear in the back of his mind they may treat him a little different now that they knew he was hearing inpared. It felt good to get this off his chest.


	5. Snakes don’t shed their scales but they can dye them

Let it be said that the women of the Southside Serpents were a force to be reckoned with. Toni has not given up on her self proclaimed mission since the idea first popped into her mind. Despite being told no on numerous accounts by the Serpent Prince, she kept at it. Asking at every given opportunity she had. Constantly pestering the boy until he finally gave in to her demands. When he finally gave up, he instantly regretted it. The pink haired girl gave a victory shout, grinning ear to ear, rambling on about how he wouldn't regret this. After all she was a master at dyeing hair.  
That's how Jughead Jones found himself sitting in the chair Toni pulled out for him early Saturday morning, the Serpent Prince began to wonder if he was cursed. For whatever reason he just keeps ending up in either weird, awkward, dangerous, or all around strange situations that most teenagers his age don't normally find themselves in. He just sat there and silently prayed that his Serpent sister would not mess up his hair. He would hate to have to cut or redye it. To his annoyance and dread, Toni would not let him see what see was doing, having removed or covered anything he could use to see himself. All the Serpent Prince could do was sit and think, whether it be about what he could have possibly done to get cursed, who cursed him, how to break the curse, and what color his hair would be when Toni was done. It did not help calm his nerves that she brought Cheryl with her as support with his hair. The red headed girl kept this devilish grin on her face, he would not be surprised if it was revealed his hair was going to be red by the end of this horrid ordeal. Thinking about a red headed Jughead, he would look probably end up looking like a weird Cheryl slash Archie offspring. Shivers were sent down his spine at the meer mental picture.   
Finally after hours of torturous sitting, two trips to the bathroom to rinse his hair, blow drying and straightening; the moment of anticipated reveal was at hand.   
The two girls gave him a smirk it was unsettling how they were completely pleased with the outcome of their handy work.   
Toni made him hold a towel in front of his eyes, he could hear Cheryl position a mirror in front. He waited till the pink haired teen gave him the signal to drop the towel.  
"Ok, now." She said and the towel was snatched from his hands. Clearly Toni was more excited than he expected. Thankfully Jughead had his eyes tightly shut behind the towel. He dreaded opening his eyes, so he snuck a quick peak by opening one eye, shock filled him with the glimpse of what he saw. Now both eyes were open wide, his mouth dropped down as he let out a little gasp.   
His hair looked fine, he actually looked good, there was no visible damage done by the bleach either. The color was natural too. It actually looked too natural, it was as if he was born with this bright colored hair. It truly looked as if he was born with a head of natural blond hair. He would be willing to bet if he stood next to the Cooper clan someone would mistake him for one Alice Cooper's kids.  
"I hate to admit it Jones, but you look good. Now if only we could work on your wardrobe." Cheryl commented.   
Toni beamed, "See? Your hair looks good and I didn't damage it like you thought I would."   
Raising his hands, Jughead admitted defeat, "Alright, I'm sorry for ever doubting you Toni. It really does look good." He took one last look at himself in the mirror before turning back to face the girls. "I believe you two owe me a meal at Pop's for letting you do this to me." Jughead jokes, but both girls knew very well to repay the Serpent Prince for the hours he spent in a chair while they worked with food. Cheryl just grinned as she retorted, "Of Course, who knows when the next time you can scavenge a half decent meal on your father's low income." Honestly the only male in the room could care less about the redhead's condescending attitude, he was getting free food from his favorite food joint. It also helps that the rich girl got scolded by her girlfriend about being insensitive the whole trip to Pop's.   
The joy of free food was almost not worth it when they arrived at the town's old restaurant, almost. As soon as the trio entered the establishment all eyes turned to them, more specifically the blond that followed the town's power couple. Given that the boy was never one for basking in the limelight, he felt his cheeks flush as the other occupants of Pop's eyed him up and down. Some even turning to one another and asking 'who is that, do you know?'. The whole situation wasn't awkward enough till Reggie Mantle and some of the other Bulldogs he was sitting with realized it was Jughead, then proceeded to blurt out his name out for all of Pop's to hear. Almost instantly did all eyes fall to him, clear and wide in shock, to his horror, some even let out a hooting whistle. Now his face was burning with embarrassment.   
Regardless of his humiliation, Cheryl dragged him to an open booth as Toni places an order with Pop before returning to them. From where he was sitting, he could clearly hear the Bulldogs talking about him. It wouldn't surprise him if they were sneaking pictures and posting them all over their social media accounts to make public his hair colored humiliation, not that Cheryl didn't already beat the football players to it. From the moment he readied himself to come out to eat he felt his phone go through a series of vibrations. So much so that he put it on silent. He was well aware the girls would post their ' masterpiece' to the Serpent's group chat. The newly dyed blond had his train of thought cut off when Pop Tate came by, placing their order in front of them. Even the Pop made a comment about his bright hair. Of course the man had only nice things to say, nonetheless Jughead was still embarrassed. Jughead just hoped his dad wouldn't freak out too much after seeing his hair. The thought only now crossed his mind after seeing some older Serpents pulling up to the food joint. He failed to inform his dad of his newest shenanigans and after all the pictures of his stuffed dog in the group chat, the teen worried his dad may think he was going crazy.


End file.
